All the ways this island has tried to kill me (so far)

Example 1: I got a staph infection. While fairly common especially in tropical areas, staph is basically just horrible. If you’ve never had it, congratulations. If you have, you feel my pain. It’s a bacterial infection in your skin that causes incredible pain and suffering. I had it on my face…UGH.

But I survived!

Example 2: I got Phytophotodermatitis. I mean really. Who gets second-degree burns making ceviche on the beach?! Welp, that would be me. Thankfully, Vitamin E exists.

So I survived!

Example 3: I got Dengue Fever. Ok, again, fairly common in tropical areas because mosquitoes are basically the most hellish little creatures ever. One little jerk got me infected with Dengue, which was essentially the flu on crack. Exactly one week of writhing in pain and feeling too weak to breathe left me wondering why I was still living here.

But I survived!

Example 4: I crashed my scooter after hitting an enormous pothole. Yeah, that was partly my fault, but these potholes are absurd around here! I think the island just wants to mess with us a little more so she punches holes all over our roads to laugh as we slalom our way around.

But I still survived!

Oh, and then there was that other time I dropped a bar door on my face, breaking my nose again. And that time my parents visited and rented a small car that couldn’t make it up the hill so we got stuck between two hills and had to do a 42-point turn on a small bridge in a manual rental car. That was fun, right, Mom?

I’m kind of getting to the point where I’m wondering if Roatan has it out for me. Except here’s the thing: this place is still paradise and I can’t imagine leaving any time soon. So, my dear Roatan, can we call a truce for the rest of 2015? I promise I’ll keep writing all about how wonderful you are in exchange for a reprieve. Deal? Deal.

Although to be fair, I could’ve gotten sick anywhere, I’ve broken bones elsewhere, and I’ve been in accidents elsewhere…so maybe it’s me, not Roatan. I guess maybe I should go put myself into a protective bubble like my mom always wanted. Maybe next year!

7 thoughts on “All the ways this island has tried to kill me (so far)”

Hi Scot! Yes, you can get it again because there are 4 different strands of it. Really, it’s just bad luck if you get it, horrible luck if you get it again. But of course it is a possibility in most tropical areas. The only prevention is to avoid mosquito bites…which is nearly impossible. But wearing bug repellent, staying inside around peak times (early morning and around sunset being the worst), and wearing long sleeves or pants will help. In all honesty it’s not something to be concerned about if you’re going on vacation. It’s quite rare.

I agree, Dengue is not a main concern but want to clarify, Unlike malaria,, which is also found on Roatan which is spread by mosquitos that feed at night and particularly at dawn and dusk, dengue fever mosquitos are active throughout daylight hours so all day protection is recommended, The other new concern is Chikungunya which is also spread by mosquitoes that are active during the day.As of January over 1.25 million suspected cases of chikungunya have been recorded in the Caribbean islands, Latin American countries and USA.

It definitely wasn’t a fun experience! For some reason, my nose likes to try to catch things…like an elbow while playing soccer, a shoulder while playing flag football, and a hanging bar door. I don’t recommend it and I’m sure you’ll agree!

Thanks for coming by! I hope you do get to visit someday, it’s a beautiful slice of paradise 🙂

Oh girl, stay safe! I can totally relate though. I think Colorado is trying to kill me too (currently waiting to have surgery on a destroyed but not broken wrist). I’m convinced that the more fun/awesome/exotic the place you live, the harder you play… and live. We’ll have to plan visits to our respective locales one of these days 🙂 Fingers crossed that you have decent insurance!